The use of wood for cooking and heating of homes is an ancient practice. In modern homes there is not always a convenient place to store such firewood. In addition to the need for a storage site, it is desirable to maintain the firewood in a relatively dry condition prior to bringing it into the home for burning.
A number of innovations have been developed relating to devices for transporting and/or storing firewood or similar materials. The following U.S. patents are representative of some of those innovations.
The three design patents of Partain (U.S. Des. 260,753), Lowry (U.S. Des. 264,572) and Schilling et al. (U.S. Des. 264,759) show small, wheeled carriers of various structure. The Lowry design shows a tube structure while the Partain design uses a wheelbarrow type construction.
Greenberg, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,846, discloses a two-wheeled leaf cart with removable handle.
Bass, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,834, shows a two-wheeled carrier with solid bottom and a handle to lift one end off the ground to move the carrier.
Rich, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,179,132, discloses a hand truck with a tubular frame.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,057, Kunkle shows a cart with two wheels and a ground support tube very close to the wheels. The cart converts to a canoe carrier as well.
A folding cart with a fabric body and a collapsible tubular frame is disclosed by Crothers in U.S. Pat. No. 4,343,487.
Creim, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,341, discloses a cart with detachable U-shaped support for firewood and the like.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,264,081, Markham describes a four-wheeled upright cart with tubular frame for transporting and storing firewood.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,961 by Chateauneuf et al. discloses a two-wheeled cart with telescoping frame that has a detachable barrow with a handle for the cart.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,716, Dahl shows a convertible transport cart with four wheels and tubular frame. The ends of the cart fold flat for storage.
Thus, there is an unmet need for a suitable device that can transport firewood or similar material from one point to another, as well as serve as storage device for such transported firewood.